The Golden Thread
I have often wondered, especially recently, what is it that makes a man? There is an image of a man defined in men's magazine, the athlete, the party animal, the womaniser, the adrenaline junkie and materially successful. Women's magazines glorify the lives of celebrities as they move from partner to partner, declaring their independence and their search for happiness in designer wear.
A life defined by the clothes that you wear, the car that you drive, the money you splash around and the number of notches you can put on your bedpost. Devoid and empty in the pursuit of the happiness that has so successfully been depicted in the media around us. Shaping us, our belief systems, our values and our warping our sense of right and wrong. Actions that would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago, are the norm and are accepted in the light of being an "open minded human being".
We have chosen to ignore the values that have been ingrained in our very DNA, chosen to ignore the voice of conscience that tells us what is right and wrong. We now claim that we are more tolerant, more progressive, more open minded, more spiritual, more in touch with ourselves as our society deteriorates before us. Never before in our history have there been more single parents, more divorces, more drugs being taken, more social ills than ever before.
Are we devolving instead of evolving? Is our eternal pursuit for that which we don't have instead of counting the things we do have and giving thanks our new lot in life? Have we decided that these are the lessons we would like to leave our children with, the future inheritors of our world and shapers of our societies?
Is this the very thing that is driving the resurgence of fanaticism and the intolerable pursuit of religious belief systems creating a polarised society as we struggle to deal with the realities of existence? Believing that we are right and they are wrong so that we can declare our success! The same objective in a different suit.
I am a scholar of old and I embrace the values that are a part of my DNA and the Golden Thread of all religious and spiritual practices. I take cognisance of the voice of conscience and I turn to the Almighty and declare my gratitude. I have decided to live :-)
A life defined by the clothes that you wear, the car that you drive, the money you splash around and the number of notches you can put on your bedpost. Devoid and empty in the pursuit of the happiness that has so successfully been depicted in the media around us. Shaping us, our belief systems, our values and our warping our sense of right and wrong. Actions that would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago, are the norm and are accepted in the light of being an "open minded human being".
We have chosen to ignore the values that have been ingrained in our very DNA, chosen to ignore the voice of conscience that tells us what is right and wrong. We now claim that we are more tolerant, more progressive, more open minded, more spiritual, more in touch with ourselves as our society deteriorates before us. Never before in our history have there been more single parents, more divorces, more drugs being taken, more social ills than ever before.
Are we devolving instead of evolving? Is our eternal pursuit for that which we don't have instead of counting the things we do have and giving thanks our new lot in life? Have we decided that these are the lessons we would like to leave our children with, the future inheritors of our world and shapers of our societies?
Is this the very thing that is driving the resurgence of fanaticism and the intolerable pursuit of religious belief systems creating a polarised society as we struggle to deal with the realities of existence? Believing that we are right and they are wrong so that we can declare our success! The same objective in a different suit.
I am a scholar of old and I embrace the values that are a part of my DNA and the Golden Thread of all religious and spiritual practices. I take cognisance of the voice of conscience and I turn to the Almighty and declare my gratitude. I have decided to live :-)
For me a 'real' man is judged by the manner he treats his parents, children, colleagues and fellow human beings. I can identify a 'real' man immediately. He has an inner strength that shows and glows from within, and one is immediately drawn to that 'inner peace' coming from within the man. It makes you feel safe to be with him. Whether he is Dave Beckham lookalike or Mike Myers mini me. no Ferrari will make a man a 'real' man, nor will a Christian Dior suit.
ReplyDeleteAnd whether you have a billion dollars in the bank or not..it is not important.
Then again.. a nice aftershave does help sometimes to change the mind ;-)
What I am saying is dont rush out to go and swipe your Platinum Cards. When you say 'I have decided to live' I hope you are saying that you will stay as you are Mo :-)